Track lining apparatus

ABSTRACT

A track lining tool, which is hydraulically movable laterally to move a track engaged by the tool, comprises a flanged wheel running on the top surface of the rail head, and another rail engaging element adjacent the wheel which can be moved into and out of a position wherein it engages the side surface of the rail head.

United States Patent Plasser et al.

[54] TRACK LINING APPARATUS [72] Inventors: Franz Plasser; JosefTheurer, both of Johannesgasse 3, 1010 Vienna, .Austria 22 Filed: March13,1970

[21] Appl.No.: 19,340

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data April 3, 1969 Austria ..A 3333/6952 US. Cl ..104/8 51 I 1m. (:1.; ..E0lb 33/02 58 v Field of Search..104/7, 7 A, 7 B, s, 7 R

[56] References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 3,417,708 12/1968 Sauterel..104/s 3,134,339

5/196 4 Plasser et al. ..104/7 B Sept. 12, 1972 3,381,625 5/1968 Plasseret al. 104/7 R 3,295,461 l/ 1967 Bick 104/8 FOREIGN PATENTS ORAPPLICATIONS 1,082,61 l 6/1960 Germany 104/8 567,758 l/l933 Germany"104/8 608,788 1/1935 Gerrnany 104/8 Primary ExaminerD1'ayton E. HoffmanAssistant Examiner-Richard A. Bertsch Attorney-Kurt Kelman ABSTRACT Atrack lining tool, which is hydraulically movable laterally to move atrack engaged by the tool, comprises a flanged wheel running on the topsurface of the rail head, and another rail engaging element adjacent thewheel which can be moved into and out of a position wherein it engagesthe side surface of the rail head.

13 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures P'ATENTEBsEP 12 m2 E1E- l m I6 VII Ila l NVEN T0123 M M Jase? Ema? ME UT TRACK LINING APPARATUS The presentinvention relates to a hydraulically operable track lining apparatusmounted on a mobile track liner for laterally moving a track.

It has been proposed to provide such apparatus with a rail engagingelement rollingly or glidingly engaging the top surface of the rail headfor one rail or both rails or a track to be lined, and an elementengaging the side surface of the rail head for transmitting the lateralmoving force to the I rail or rails. For instance, flanged wheels havebeen used for this purpose, the wheels having either one or two flangesengaging one or both side surfaces of the rail head.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a track liningapparatus of this general type which is also useful'in track sectionswhere it is difficult to engage the side surfacesof the rail heads, suchas switchpoints, crossings and the like.

- Theaboveand other objects are accomplished in accordance with theinvention with a track lining apparatus which comprises a first railengaging element, such as a wheel which may or may not havea flange,which element rollingly or glidingly engages the top surface of the railhead of a rail of the track to be lined,

and alseicond rail engaging element laterally adjacent the firstrail'engaging element for engaging a side surface of the rail head. Thesecond element is mounted for adjustmentin respect of the first elementand is movable into and out of a position wherein it engages the sidesurface of the rail head.

Thearrangement of the adjustable second rail engaging element may take agreat variety of forms dependent solely on the requirements. of theparticular track formation. For instance, a pair of such elements may bemounted laterally adjacent the first rail engaging element for movementinto and out of a position wherein a respective second rail engagingelement engages a respective side surface of the rail head, as requiredby the direction of lateral movement, while the other element may bemoved out of the engaging position because of lack of spaceat the pointof engagement. The engagement with the side surface of the rail head ofone of the second rail engaging elements will still make it possibletomove the rail laterally in the desired position.

-While the second rail engaging element may be pivoted or laterallymoved out of the rail head engaging position, it is vertically movableinto and out of this position in the preferred embodiment of theinvention.

It is desirable for the lateral force transmitting, second rail engagingelement to take up as little space as possible, preferably notsubstantially more space than the flange of a flanged wheel. Thus, thesecond rail engaging element may be a frusto-conical member rotatablymounted on an end of a rod mounted for vertical movement, the rotatablemember conformingly engaging the oblique surface of the rail head whichis,

conventionally of trapezoidal cross section. If desired, the second railengaging element may instead'be fixed about its vertical axis and beprovided with a frictionreducing means, such as rollers, for engagementwith the side surface of the rail head.

The adjustment of the second rail engaging element is preferably remotecontrollable so that its adjustment may be effected without loss oftime. A cylinder-andpiston drive for the adjustment is useful.

While a pair of second rail engagement elements may be mounted forselective engagement with one or the other side surface of the rail headfor operation of the apparatus in a selected lateral direction, it isalso possible to mount a pair of these elements laterally adjacent oneor each side of the rail head, the first rail engaging element beingpositioned intermediate or centrally between the pair or pairs of secondrail engaging elements; If the first rail engaging element is a flangedwheel, with the flange of the wheel engaging one side surface of therail head, a pair of the second rail engaging elements may be mountedfor engagement with the other side surface of the rail head. v

Whatever the particular arrangement of the rail engaging elements, it isuseful to mount the track lining apparatus as a unit on the mobile frameof the machine on a pivotal carrier.

The above and other objects, advantages and features of the presentinvention 'will become more ap-- FIG. 2 is a similar view of a differenttype of track lining and leveling machine;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are front elevational views of two embodiments of thetrack lining apparatus of this invention;'and

FIGS. 5 and 6 are respective top views of FIGS. 3 and 4. Referring nowto the drawing and first to FIG. 1, there is shown a mobile trackleveling and lining machine comprising an elongated machine frame 1moving on the track rails 3, 3 on wheels 2, 2. The track rests on ties4. Anoverhanging front portion of the machine frame carries aconventional vertically movable track leveling apparatus 5 and twogroups of tamping tools 6 arranged to tamp simultaneously two adjacentties and thus to fix the leveled track in position.

A track lining apparatus 7 is mounted on the machine frame 1 between thefront-and rear wheels 2, 2. Hydraulic motors 8 enable the track liningapparatus to be lifted off the track, when required to avoid obstacleson the track or when no track lining is desired or required. Duringlining operations, the track-lining apparatus engages at least one railof the track so that a horizontal, laterally directed, hydraulicallyoperated force exerts a corresponding lateral pressure on the engagedrail or rails to move the track laterally.

As pointed out hereinabove, the present track lining apparatus is usedwith particular advantage in machines which operate at switch points,rail crossings and the like, and FIG. 2 illustrates such a track linerin which a machine frame 1' moves on wheels 2', 2. An overhanging frontportion of the machine frame carries tamping tools 6' and the operatorsstation 9, as well as a vertically movable carrier 5' pivotally mountedon the machine frame for holding the track engaging apparatus 7. In thismanner, the apparatus 7 may not only be lifted oh the track but may alsobe used for leveling if the rail engaging elements grasp the rail headsduring vertical movement.

All of the hereinabove described and illustrated structure isconventional. Two embodiments of the track lining apparatus usable insuch structures according to the present invention are shown in FIGS. 3to 6. Both embodiments comprise hydraulically movable rail engagingmeans for selectively moving the track in one or the other lateraldirection, the hydraulic motor used for this purpose being entirelyconventional. In each embodiment, one rail engaging element rollinglyengages the top surface of the rail head of a rail 3 of the track and atleast one other rail engaging element is arranged to engage a sidesurface or flank of the rail head to transmit the lateral force to therail.

Referring now to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the first railengaging element is a flanged wheel 10 having a flange l engaging oneside surface or flank of the rail head of rail 3. The second railengaging element is a vertically movable member 11 whose lower endcarries a freely rotatable frusto-conical roller 11' for conformingengagement with the other oblique side surface of the rail head. Themember 11 moves in a vertical guide 12 which, in the illustratedembodiment, is a cylinder. A pressure fluid supply is connected to thecylinder 12 at 13 for moving the member 11 into and out of a railengaging position, the member 11 being the movable part of thecylinder-piston drive.

The axle of flanged wheel 10 and the cylinder 12 of the rail engagingmember 11 are mounted on carrier 14 which is pivotally mounted onmachine frame 1. The hydraulic motor 8 or 8' presses the first railengaging element 10 into rolling engagement with the top surface of therail head so as to prevent disengagement of this element from the railhead during the lining operation.

As shown in FIG. 5, a pair of second rail engaging element 11 aremounted laterally adjacent the first rail engaging element 10 formovement into and out of a position wherein a respective member 11engages the side surface of the rail head opposite to the side surfaceengaged by flange 10' of wheel 10. As shown, the flanged wheel isintermediate the pair of second rail engaging elements, i.e. theseelements are symmetrically arranged on either side of wheel axle 10". Asshown in FIG. 5, where another rail 3' at a switch point or crossingmakes it impossible to move both rail engaging element 11, 11 into railengaging position, one of them will be moved down into such position.This will suffice to engage the rail 3 and toexert the required lateralpressure thereon to move the same laterally. The vertical axes of thevertically adjustable rail engaging elements 11 extend between the planeof pivoting of carrier l4 and the plane of the wheel 10.

The embodiment of FIGS. 4 and 6 is similar in many respects to theabove-described embodiment and to avoid redundancy in the description,like parts functioning in a like manner are designated by like referencenumerals in both embodiments.

In this embodiment, the second rail engaging ele ment 11a is a freelyrotatable, vertically movable rod whose lower end is frusto-conical,thus functioning in the same manner as the freely rotatable roller 11'.The first rail engaging element is a flangeless wheel 15 running on thetop surface of the rail head, and two pairs of the second rail engagingelements 11a are mounted laterally adjacent the wheel 15 for selectivemovement into and out of a position wherein a respective one or arespective pair of the second rail engaging elements 11a engages arespective one of the side surfaces of the rail head so that the railwill be effectively gripped for lateral movement into a selecteddirection. The four elements 1 la are mounted on brackets 16, 16 holdingthe cylinders for the elements 11a.

As shown in FIG. 4, at a switch point which includes the rail 17, therail engaging elements 11a on one side of the rail 3 will be movedupwards from a rail engaging position (shown in broken lines) to aninoperative position (shown in full lines).

Many modifications and variation of structural details may occur tothose skilled in the art, particularly after benefiting from the presentteaching, without departing from the spirit and scope of this'inventionas defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A hydraulically operable track lining apparatus mounted on a mobiletrack liner for laterally moving a track, said lining apparatuscomprising 1. a first rail engaging element rollingly or glidinglyengaging the top surface of the rail head of a rail of said track, and

. a second rail engaging element mounted for vertical adjustment inrespect of the first rail engaging element and vertically movable intoan operative position wherein it laterally engagesone side surface ofthe rail head adjacent the first rail engaging element for exerting alateral track moving pressure against the one rail head side surface,and into an inoperative position wherein the second rail engagingelement is above the rail head and out of engagement with the one railhead side surface.

2. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second railengaging element is a frusto-conical member conformingly engageable withthe one side surface of the rail head which is oblique and rotatableabout a vertical axis.

3. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the second railengaging element is a member rotatably mounted on an end ofa rod mountedfor vertical movement.

4. The track lining apparatus of claim 3, wherein the rotatably mountedmember is frusto-conical and is conformingly engageable with the oneside surface of the rail head which is oblique.

5. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a supportfor the first rail engaging element, and a substantially vertical guidefor vertically movably mounting the second rail engaging element; thevertical guide being affixed to the support.

6. The track lining apparatus of claim 5, wherein the guide is acylinder and the second rail engaging element is movable in thecylinder, a pressure fluid supply being connected to the cylinder formoving the second rail engaging element.

7. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pair of said secondrail engaging elements are mounted laterally adjacent the first railengaging element for movement into and out of a position wherein arespective one of the second rail engaging elements engages a respectiveone of the side surfaces of the rail head.

8. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pair of said secondrail engaging elements are mounted laterally adjacent the one sidesurface of the rail head, the first rail engaging element beingpositioned intermediate the pair of second rail engaging elements.

9. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first railengaging element is a wheel engaging the top surface of the rail head,and two pairs of said second rail engaging elements are mountedlaterally adjacent the wheel for movement into and out of a positionwherein a respective ones of the second rail engaging elements engages arespective one of the side surfaces of the rail head, with the wheelbeing centered between the second rail engaging elements.

10. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first r'ailengaging element is a flanged wheel, the flange of the wheel engagingthe other side surface of the rail head for holding the head between thewheel flange and the second rail engaging element when the latter is inthe operative position.

11. The track lining apparatus of claim 10, wherein two of said secondrail engaging elements are mounted on respective sides of the first railengaging element.

12. A hydraulically operable track lining apparatus mounted on a mobiletrack liner for laterally moving a track, comprising 1. a flanged wheelrollingly engaging the top surface and one of the side surfaces of therail head of a rail of said track,

2. a pair of rail engaging elements each mounted for adjustment inrespect of the flanged-wheel,

a. the flanged wheel being positioned intermediate the pair of railengaging elements,

3; a support for the flanged wheel,

4. a pair of vertical guide cylinders affixed to the support andvertically movably mounting the rail engaging elements into an operativeposition wherein a respective one of the rail engaging elements engagesthe other side surface of the rail head for holding the rail headbetween the flanged wheel and the rail engaging element or elements, andinto an inoperative position wherein a respective one of the railengaging elements is out of engagement with the other. side surface ofthe rail head, and

5. a pressure fluid supply connected to the cylinders for moving therespective rail engaging elements vertically therein.

13. The track lining apparatus of claim 12, wherein the railengagingelements are members mounted for rotation about a vertical axis forrolling and conforming engagement with the other side surface of therail head in the operative position, and further comprising a rodmounted for vertical movement in each cylinder, each rotational memberbeing affixed to an end of the rod.

1. A hydraulically opErable track lining apparatus mounted on a mobiletrack liner for laterally moving a track, said lining apparatuscomprising
 1. a first rail engaging element rollingly or glidinglyengaging the top surface of the rail head of a rail of said track, and2. a second rail engaging element mounted for vertical adjustment inrespect of the first rail engaging element and vertically movable intoan operative position wherein it laterally engages one side surface ofthe rail head adjacent the first rail engaging element for exerting alateral track moving pressure against the one rail head side surface,and into an inoperative position wherein the second rail engagingelement is above the rail head and out of engagement with the one railhead side surface.
 2. a second rail engaging element mounted forvertical adjustment in respect of the first rail engaging element andvertically movable into an operative position wherein it laterallyengages one side surface of the rail head adjacent the first railengaging element for exerting a lateral track moving pressure againstthe one rail head side surface, and into an inoperative position whereinthe second rail engaging element is above the rail head and out ofengagement with the one rail head side surface.
 2. The track liningapparatus of claim 1, wherein the second rail engaging element is afrusto-conical member conformingly engageable with the one side surfaceof the rail head which is oblique and rotatable about a vertical axis.2. a pair of rail engaging elements each mounted for adjustment inrespect of the flanged wheel, a. the flanged wheel being positionedintermediate the pair of rail engaging elements,
 3. a support for theflanged wheel,
 3. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein thesecond rail engaging element is a member rotatably mounted on an end ofa rod mounted for vertical movement.
 4. The track lining apparatus ofclaim 3, wherein the rotatably mounted member is frusto-conical and isconformingly engageable with the one side surface of the rail head whichis oblique.
 4. a pair of vertical guide cylinders affixed to the supportand vertically movably mounting the rail engaging eLements into anoperative position wherein a respective one of the rail engagingelements engages the other side surface of the rail head for holding therail head between the flanged wheel and the rail engaging element orelements, and into an inoperative position wherein a respective one ofthe rail engaging elements is out of engagement with the other sidesurface of the rail head, and
 5. a pressure fluid supply connected tothe cylinders for moving the respective rail engaging elementsvertically therein.
 5. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, furthercomprising a support for the first rail engaging element, and asubstantially vertical guide for vertically movably mounting the secondrail engaging element; the vertical guide being affixed to the support.6. The track lining apparatus of claim 5, wherein the guide is acylinder and the second rail engaging element is movable in thecylinder, a pressure fluid supply being connected to the cylinder formoving the second rail engaging element.
 7. The track lining apparatusof claim 1, wherein a pair of said second rail engaging elements aremounted laterally adjacent the first rail engaging element for movementinto and out of a position wherein a respective one of the second railengaging elements engages a respective one of the side surfaces of therail head.
 8. The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein a pair ofsaid second rail engaging elements are mounted laterally adjacent theone side surface of the rail head, the first rail engaging element beingpositioned intermediate the pair of second rail engaging elements. 9.The track lining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first rail engagingelement is a wheel engaging the top surface of the rail head, and twopairs of said second rail engaging elements are mounted laterallyadjacent the wheel for movement into and out of a position wherein arespective ones of the second rail engaging elements engages arespective one of the side surfaces of the rail head, with the wheelbeing centered between the second rail engaging elements.
 10. The tracklining apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first rail engaging element isa flanged wheel, the flange of the wheel engaging the other side surfaceof the rail head for holding the head between the wheel flange and thesecond rail engaging element when the latter is in the operativeposition.
 11. The track lining apparatus of claim 10, wherein two ofsaid second rail engaging elements are mounted on respective sides ofthe first rail engaging element.
 12. A hydraulically operable tracklining apparatus mounted on a mobile track liner for laterally moving atrack, comprising
 13. The track lining apparatus of claim 12, whereinthe rail engaging elements are members mounted for rotation about avertical axis for rolling and conforming engagement with the other sidesurface of the rail head in the operative position, and furthercomprising a rod mounted for vertical movement in each cylinder, eachrotational member being affixed to an end of the rod.